Shock absorber



Feb. 2, 1932. H, D, KENNEAR g SHOCK ASORBER Filed July 14, 1928 2 sheets-sheet l Mfg Feb. 2, 1932. H, D, KlNNEAR 1,843,681

SHOCK ABSORBER Filed July 14, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Feb. 2, 17932 UNITED STATES PATENT orifice HARRY D. KINNEAB, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO -TI-IE GABRIEL ,COMPANY,

y F CLEVELAND', OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO SHOCK nBsoRBEn Application led July-T14,

This invention relates to shock absorbers of the hydraulic type wherein movements of a vane in opposite directions are controllably Y resisted by the liquid-in a casing yin which the vane is oscillated. The general purpose and object of -theinvention is to improve the eiiiciencywhile reducing the cost of production of devices of this 'charar'zter A still further object is to improve the manner of controlling the flow of the liquid in the casing under the influence of the vane or vanes.`

I accomplish the foregoing'objects, and other and more limited objects which will appear hereinafter, in and lthrough the construction and arrangment of partsshown in the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a shock absorber constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the manner in which it is applied to one of the side members and the axle of an automobile; Fig. 2 a sectional view through the shock absorber, said view corresponding to the line 2-2 of Fig. 3; and Figs. 3 and l sectional views corresponding respectively to the line 3 3 and lr-4 of Fig. 2.

Describing the various parts herein by reference characters, 1 denotes one ofthe side frame members and 2 an axle of an automobile. The shock absorber comprises'a substantially cylindrical casing 3 having a bottom 4L which is secured to the side member 1 by means of bolts 5 threaded into bosses 6 carried bythe bottom. The casing bottom Vis provided, between the bosses 6, with a central boss 7 provided with a cylindrical seat 8 for an anti-friction bushing 9 in which the inner reduced end 10a of a shaft 10 is journaled. The shaft 10 is provided within the casing 3 with an enlarged cylindrical portion 10b, said cylindrical portion being co-extensive with the depth of the liquid chamber provided between the top and the bottom of the casing and being provided with radially eX- tending slots 10'c in which'the inner ends of the vane members 11, 11a are seated. Three such vane members are shown and -extend from the shaft outwardly toward and in close proximity to the inner cylindrical wall 82L of the casing. The vane member 11 is Aarranged centrally With respect to the vane leas. serial No. 292,675.

members 1-1a and is shown as spaced equidistantly therefrom. The members 11 and 11EL constitute a chambered'or pocketed vane assembly.

Diamet-rically opposite the vane member 11, as shown in Fig. 2, isthe valve assembly, saidassembly comprisingv generally a substantially Veshaped mounting, indicated at A andhaving its apex curved, Vas shown at A, to form a close fit with thecylinder wall 10b and having the legs A2 provided eachvwith a segmental outer bearing surface A3 adapted to engage the inner cylindrical wall 3a of the casing. f The valve mounting A comprises, in addition to the legs A2, a segmental top plate A4 and a segmental bottom plate A5, said plates being provided each with a keywayAloy means of which and keys 12 the mounting is secured to the'bottem and tothe cover of the casing. Each Lof the legs A2 of the valve mounting is provided with a seepage port 13 and a valve 14 for varying the effective cross sectional area of said port, also with a port 15 controlled by a ball check valve 16, there being a stop pin 17 in each port for Vlimiting the unseating movement of the ball valve therein. -The check valves are soarranged that each will be closed by a movement of the vanes toward the mounting but can Y' open freely as the'vanes move in the opposite direction. i f

Each valve 14 is provided with a stem l@ and with an intermediate enlarged cylindrical portion 14 which is threaded'into a bore 14: provided therefor in the leg A2, in which the valveis mounted. The valve is provided with a reduced lowerv end 14d which, by adjusting the valve, can be ymoved more or less across the port 13, the reduced extension being somewhatvr longer than the seat A7 Yprovided therefor below the port 13 so that the port will not be entirely blocked by the valve when the latter is so seated. Each port 13 consists of a narrow slot having intermediate the ends thereof a cylindrical lenlargement v13a for the portion of the valve above the end 14, By this construction, the maximum area of the port provided by the port 13 will be the cross sectional area of either of the slotted ends thereof; and this effective cross sectional area will be reduced by adjusting each valve downwardly, as will appear clearly from Fig. 4C.

Reference has been made hereinbefore to the cover. This cover is indicated at 18 and may be welded into the top of the casing, as indicated at 19. The cover is provided with upwardly extending bosses 20 each providing a stumng box for the outer end of a valve stem 14. lThe bottom of each stung box is tapered, as shown at 20a, and a compressible packing 21 is inserted into the tapered seat above which is placed a washer 22, the'washer and the pa-cking being pressed inwardly by means of a screw plug 23 through which the outer end of each stem 14a extends. For convenience of adjusting the stems, each may be .provided with a. socket 14@ at its outer end.

t will be noted that the valves 14 extend through the cover 18 and lthat they are arranged parallel with the axis of the shaft. Due to this arrangement, the valves may be conveniently adjusted after the installation of theshock absorber on the side member 1.

The part 10 of the shaft extends through a stuffing box 24 projecting from the central portion of the cover, the said stuffing box being provided with an inner bushing 25 having at its outer end a tapered seat 25a for a compressible packing ring 26. T he outer end of the stuliing box is closed by a screw plug 27 having a tapered seat 27L for a compressible packing ring 23. Between the packing rings 26 and 28 there is interposed a radially corrugated spring washer 29. j

The outer portion of the shaft 10 is provided with a tapered seat 10e for the hub 30 of an arm 30, the said hub being held in place by means of a nut 31 threaded upon the outer end l()d of the said shaft.

`For the purpose of checking the movements of the members 1 and 2 toward and from each other, the arm is connected by a connecting rod 32 to a bracket 34 'projecting from one end of a bolt 33 which secures a pair of clamps 35 to the axle 2. The outer end of the arm 30 is connected to the upper end of the arm 32 by means of a ball-anclsocket connection, indicated generally at 32a, and the lower end of the arm 32 is connected in like manner 1to the end of the bracket 34, as indicated at 34a. The particular manner of connecting the arm 30 to the bracket 35 forms no part of the invention covered herein; hence a detailed description of such connections is unnecessary.

With ythe parts constructed and arranged as described, it is believed that the operation will be readily understood. Assume that the shaft 10 tends to rotate in a clockwise direction. This causes the vane assembly to compress the liquid between it and the abutment formed by the valve mounting. This movement will cause the valve 16 on the side of the abutment which the vane assembly is approaching to be closed, and the only escape for the liquid which is subjected to such Compression will be a negligible leakage around the ends of the vane assembly and the seepage through the port 13 in the leg A2 toward which the vanes are moving. Liquid which is forced through this port canpass freely through the opposite leg A2 by the free opening of the check valve 16 in such leg, thus insuring that the space between each leg A2 and the vane member adjacent thereto will be substantially filled with liquid atall times.

By reason ofthe construction and arrangement of the valve vshown herein, it will be evident thatthe resistance to the movement of the-vane assembly in one direction may be made greater or less than the, resistance to the movement in the opposite, direction, by adjusting the valves lll to accommodate the conditions desired. For instance, bymaking the passageway around the bottom of the valve 14, in one of the legs considerably larger than the passageway around the bottom of the valve in the other leg, less resistance will be opposed to the movement of the vane assembly toward the first valve than toward the second valve; and any desired Variation in resistance may be accomplished by adjusting the said valves to vary the size of the passages provided around the ends there-l By employing a plurality of vane members 11,11% any leakage of liquid around the iirst vane member of the series which may be moving toward the valve-mounting abutment will be checked by the second vane member4 of such series, and any liquid leaking around such second vane member will in turn be checked by the third vane member. By

the use of the vane members 11, 11a, a plurality of liquid-containing pockets are provided vin the vane assembly. Under a quick movement of the vane assembly in either direction, turbulence will be created in the liquid in the pockets or chambers, creating a rection, turbulence will be created in the liquid outwardly against the inner wall 3a of the casing, thereby increasing the efficiency of the oil seal provided between the ends of Ithe vane members and such inner wall. enables me to avoid close tolerance between the outer ends of the vane members and the inner wall of the casing. In addition, it permits free'action of the vehicle springs under ordinary or comparatively smooth riding conditions.

The liquid in the pockets or chambers between the vanes retards the seepage around the ends of the vanes and also backs up and reinforces the vanes which aresubjected to the greatest pressure, enabling the use of light material for the vanes. Furthermore, when the vane assembly is moved quickly in either direction, the liquid in what is then the forward chamber will not only be thrown outwardly in the manner specified, but willL pass into and back up the liquid in the next succeeding chamber, thereby enabling the liquid from the latter chamber to build up and increase the seal around the end of the rearmost vane. In other words, there will be an increasing sealing effect from the foremost to the rearmost vane.

It will be noted that the internal diameter of the hub 24 is greater than the diameter of the part l0b of the shaft. This enables the shaft to be assembled through the cover and the bushing 25 and the other packing members of the stuffing box to be applied after the shaft has been assembled and the cover has been welded in place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A shock absorber comprising a cylindrical liquid-containing casing have a cover, a shaft extending through said cover and journaied in said casing, a vane assembly carried by the portion of the shaft within the casing, a valve mounting extending between the said shaft and the inner wall of the casing and engaging the said cover, the said mount-ing having` a port for the passage of liquid therethrough, and a valve for such port, the said valve comprising a stemV extending substantially parallel with the said shaft andk through said cover and having a portion thereof threaded into the mounting and a lower cylindrical end of smaller diameter than the body of the stem and adapted to be moved across such port, the said port having an extension therebeneath for such reduced end of the valve.

2. A shock'absorber comprising a cylindrical liquid-containing casing having a cover, a shaft extending through saidr cover journaled in said casing, a vane assembly carried by the portion'of the shaft within the casing, a valve mounting extending between the said shaft and the inner wall of the casing and engaging the said cover, the

said mounting having a port therethrough provided with narrow slotted ends and an intermediate cylindrical portion, such cylindrical portion extending below the port proper, a valve stem threaded in such mounting and extending substantially parallei with the said shaft and having a cylindricalportion cooperating with the cylindrical portion of said port and having a reduced cylindrical end portion below the cylindrical portion thereof, said valve stem extending through the cover for the casing, the said cover having a stuing box for each valve stem.

3. A shock absorber comprising a cylindrical liquid-containing casing, a shaft journaled in said casing, a vane assembly mounted on said shaft and extending outwardly in proximity to the inner wall of said casing, a partition extending from said shaft to the inner wall of the casing and toward and fromy which the vane assembly is moved by said shaft, there being a port for variably opposing the movement of the vane assembly in one direction toward said partition, the said vane assembly being provided with a plurality of liquid-containing chambers or pockets projecting thereinto from the exterior thereof, the said chambers or pockets being of suliicient depth to cause centrifugal action of the liquid therein under quick movements of the vane assembly toward the said partition.

4;. A shock absorber comprising a cylindrical liquid-containing casing, a shaft journaled in said casing, a vane assembly mounted on said shaft and extending outwardly in proximity to the inner wall of said casing,

a valve mounting interposed between the shaft and the inner wall of said casing and toward and from which the vane assembly is moved by said shaft, valves in said mounting controlling and permitting the iiow of liquid therethrough by movement of the vane assembly toward such mounting, the said vane assembly being provided with a plurality of n liquid-containing chambers or pockets projecting thereinto from the exterior thereof, the said chambers or pockets being of sufficient depth to'cause centrifugal action of the liquid therein under quick movements of the vane assemblytoward thesaid mounting.

5. A shock absorber comprising a cylindrical liquid-containing casing, a shaft journaled in said casing, a plurality of radially extending vanes mounted in said shaft and having their outer ends adjacent the inner wall of said casing, a partition extending from `said shaft to the inner wall of the casing and toward and from which the said vanes are moved by said shaft, a-valve controlled port for variably opposing the movement of the vanes in one direction toward said partition, there being a plurality of inwardly extending liquid containing pockets or chambers provided between said vanes, said pockets or chambers being of such depth as to cause centrifugal action of the liquid therein under quick movements of the vane assembly toward the said partition.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

HARRY D. KINNEAR. 

